Those poor children
by Reader's Delight
Summary: There are always those who stand out, they are brave, funny, strong but they all stand out... and the capitol change them.


A/N: Hello tributes :) This is my first foray into hunger games fanfiction so please be nice! This is from Caesar Flickerman's POV because he is a very intriguing character to write. I hope I have done him justices :) please read review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: May the odds be ever in my favour of trying to own this amazing book series.

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Caesar Flickerman acts like he loves his job, the capitol, everything about the hunger games. He doesn't. Not for a moment.

He was only 13 years old when he started his television career. How young, naiive and innocent he was! Full of his ideals, hopes and dreams about the future and the fame he was sure he would have. How little he knew.

During the uprising against the capitol, he hid himself underground at the tender age of 14, scared of the loud noises and screams of the dying capitol citizens and the tortured sounds of the murdered rebels from the districts.

Of course, the capitol crushed the rebellion by bombing the streets of the entire continent of Panem. Everyone of "importance" or those with the chance had hidden underground, so what did the high ups care of the deaths of the innocent or their reputation for being mass murderers?

What did they care for the mother, father or twin younger brothers Caesar lost that day?

After the dark days, only himself and his 20 year old sister Katrina remained of their family. The rest had been blown apart in their very own homes by the government that said they would look after them.

As time went on, Caesar's sister kept alive the memory of their mother father and brothers and remained bitter towards the capitol and instilled the same bitterness into Caesar's heart.

Therefore, when approached at 20 years old to host the interviews of the tributes in the hunger games, he very nearly said no. Only the thought of what would happen to his sister if he, the very last of her birth family, died made him accept the job.

And he hated every last second of it.

The capitol changed his appearance, made him act up to the camera, made him someone he wasn't. Then, when he started showing his age and when he had been hoping to quit the horrible job, the capitol had age prohibited him, made him stay looking 42 for the rest of his life. And he hated them for changing him.

Even worse was the actual interviews.

These were just children, similar of age to him in the uprisings. Scared, upset, terrified... knowing that only one in 24 came out alive.

Or the careers, children who had trained their whole lives for the games, the ones who usually won, the bloodthirsty, inhumane monsters... The ones who thrived on the killings.

Caesar tried to make himself detached, immovable, emotionless. As plastic as the capitol made him look. But as always, there were children who stood out in his memory, the ones he would never forget.

In his first year there was the typical bloodthirsty tributes and the scared but resigned older children from the other districts. But there was one young boy from district 6 only 12 years old who he remembers. David Johnson was brave, cheerful and stood up for himself. He told the capitol that he hated them, live on air and that he knew he was going to die, but he didn't want his mum to cry for him but to always remember him. Caesar had been astounded at his bravery. As expected, little David Johnson didn't even make it past the first day, but his last moments of life shown on the camera was him with a small smile on his face saying goodbye to his family. That night Caesar went home and cried for the brave, young David Johnson.

The years passed and again and again kids from the interviews stood out in Caesar's mind and he had to watch nearly all of them die gruesomely on camera and then congratulate their killers in the final interviews.

There was 16 year old Kelly Clarkson from district 8 who won her games and stayed in the capitol to produce music about the family she lost at home and her lover killed before her in the games.

14 year old Connor Thompson from district 9 who made it to the final 8 but was killed in a flood by the game makers for refusing to kill anyone.

12 year old Lyra Sayer from district 3, who had down syndrome and appeared to be blissfully unaware of what the games really entailed. She was sweet and young and gave Caesar a hug for "being very nice and having pretty, colourful hair." She ran away from the cornucopia without any supplies and died from eating poisonous plants.

13 year old Harry Stone from district 2, a career who didn't want to be a typical career and forged alliances with people from other districts. He won his games from killing his district partner and his allies from district 10 killing each other in a heartbreaking lover's suicide pact which Harry had to watch with tears running down his face.

There were so many others, from all the district's, all different- brave or funny or strong- but always outstanding and unforgettable. Some won and lived, but most died - alone, in pain and afraid. The capitol had done this. Taking children from their homes, terrified and put them in an arena together in a fight to the death, watched by everyone in the country. It was sick, wrong and Caesar cried after every game for all of the children dead and for the monsters the capitol created out of the winners.

In the 74th hunger games, so many of the children stood out. There was bloodthirsty Cato and Clove, obviously lover's who would easily turn on each other. There was the red-headed district 5 girl Rachel Fox, clever and cunning. The district 11 tributes Thresh, the gentle giant who was protective of his district partner and strong but a pacifist, obviously hoping to avoid killing the others. Then there was little Rue, a complete cutie with hidden strength and an innocent nature ruined by the capitol's forced labour and insistence of these bloody games. When she died, Caesar cried all night wishing he could have saved the poor child.

The there were the district 12 tributes, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. The girl on fire and the boy with the bread. They were both so strong of character and sound of heart. The way Katniss volunteered for her sister and the protection and love Peeta obviously felt for Katniss was beautiful. Caesar always knew that the winner would have to be either one of them and hopefully it could be both.

As Caesar watches yet another games and interviews the new tributes, he acts like he loves his job, the capitol and the games, whereas he is really thinking about the other tributes, the other brave children the games ruined. He thinks about the family he lost and the only family he has left and he decides that he really does hate the capitol.


End file.
